Dear Mr. Colin, I came back to deeply thank you for this video because you saved me thousands of dollars by teaching me how to do this. I even found a technique to separating the sticky mold tape. I do it by hand (kind as if I'm threading - while wearing my covid mask, lol!). I have learned how the visual can be harmed by even having a bad casing. For some reason I have come to enjoy it and feel happy when my family finds a new uploaded video. This will be a great treat to display some of them on my parent's 50 year anniversary. Thank you, Thank you!!

Thank you very much for making this video. I was able to trim out the broken part, splice, de-mould, and digitize our home videos of my son's first year. He's in his 20's now, moved away, and we miss him. Thank you so much for giving us our memories back. I could not have done it without your help. Thank you.

So true!! I just started handling the very same problem of hi8 moulded tapes. Yes they snap exactly that way, and the described procedure is indeed crucial to be applied BEFORE trying to play them and convert them. I am currently building a similar “machine” to help me as I have around 20 hi8 cassettes to handle. Thank you SO MUCH for your video.

I can’t thank you enough Colin on the work you did on the tape that I had that had mold on it, amazing work and would highly recommend. Thank you.

Just found your channel after pulling put my 8mm sony camcorder from 15-25 years ago and needing the mold solution for one or two tapes - great channel! I will be very carefully copying those tapes to the cloud asap :)

Hi Colin. Great tutorial mate, thanks for your work and willingness to share with others.

I really nice video. I'm from the United States and love your channel.

Nice work. I am finally working on restoring some Handycam video8 tapes I recorded from 1994 to 2003 and this is very instructive.

Thank you so much for sharing your knowledge, I hope you know how much people from around the world appreciate it!

Great work! I had no idea that there were people who repaired video tapes. Hugs from Brazil.

Very useful. Thank you for showing how to fix the problem with mould, I have 5 old tapes that I'm now willing to attempt the repair of.

Excellent video. Answered a lot of my questions about tape repair.

I too thank you for helping me transfer an old tape and I did some personal tinkering as well. I read on Wiki that methylated spirits causes mold to explode so I got a small piece of a A4 cartridge paper a dipped it into the metho then slid it parallel to the spool and onto the edge of the tape. Rotated it a few times and the mold vanished. I then fast forwarded the tape and rewound it to dry of any excess. No stick. You may frown but I hope not. Cheers.

Thank you so much for this video, I was able to rescue some moldy tapes using this method that had really bad picture quality and now play perfectly! 👍👍

obviously EXPERIENCE is what makes you clever, but i think you just simply have a clever mind---you are also verbally clever and explain options and variations quite well----thank you!

Recently I modified an 8mm cassette shell to allow the back tension technique shown here by Colin, but while the reels are in the cassette shell. The whole exercise seems more controlled and manageable for me.

I really appreciate your videos. I learned a lot.

Wow! I loved this video! Very instructive !! I have digitized and restored countless tapes 8 and hi8 of my collection but some moldy need yet to be recovered. Your solution is very creative and effective. I'm going to adventure and try to build a little machine with old parts here in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. One last question, did you clean the tapes after you removed the mold? If so, what kind of product did you use? Thank you and congratulations for the excellent work and above all for sharing your knowledge. All the best! Pedro

Seen lots of tape with fold over but none yet with mould. Will keep my eyes open. I have one of those 8mm rewinders as well. Very handy units. I have a mini dv winder too.

Would the magnetic tip of the screwdriver degrade the magnetic information on the tape when using it as a pointer ? :D Or is it not magnetic?

Hi Colin, Very interesting topic, most informative, Thank you. Simon.

Hi Colin, do you have any recommendations on what sticky tape I can buy to repair a snapped 8mm tape?

Hi Colin, it almost looks like someone tried to play the tape, it threaded around the head, locked up and a video head sliced the tape at a 45 degree angle. I had a similar failure in the early 1970s when I was trying to get my Cartrivision machine working. Fortunately it did not damage the head, adjusted the tension and I had the first color vtr in South Miami when I was 17.

love it. such a genius. so much to learn here. Keep up the good content and thanks a lot!

I have a lot of 8mm tapes to do, stored in a cupboard, but to close to a outer wall, did not realise, so , I will have a lot of work it seems, but this helps

very clever---i appreciate---one negative---worry about breathing mold, but no protective gloves?---i understand that it is difficult to work with gloves

Can you confirm if the white substance is truly mold. Some searches on the internet suggest it could be a type of salt mineral white power leaching from the tape material?

tenho 2 fitas que estão intensamente coladas e não tem maquina que resolva? deve existir algum processo quimico? 3M BASF?

HI like the rig i had to do this in a lot bigger way i had some one inch tape i had to check before baking some ampex nab's don't like the heat so i had to move tape to nab that were ok in the oven it's a pain and take a lot of time

Some hi8 tapes are having fingerprints on it and seems not playing properly any solution for the same

Is there any chance you would post pictures of hos you put these motors together to make this tape cleaner? I'm clueless.

When the tape has folded over I have passed it over an external smooth surface and wound through by hand. It may be that the 12 minutes of tape is all folded but it might not be. The tape now flat is unevenly wound and needs to be wound and rewound a few times. The playback may still be too damaged to have any value.

Thanks for the upload, this was amazing to watch. Is it at all possible to fix the flickering/glitch ? my tapes have no mold and don't stick but seems like they're worn out or something... the sound works but the pictures is pretty terrible. I had a look around for an answer but can't seem to find one except maybe the fact that tapes only last 10 to 15 years. If you know what i can do would be amazing, all the best thanks anyway!

Have you found mould only forming on one side of the tape? I'm thinking it's how they are stored for decades. Flat makes mould only on one side where as vertical tape storage gets both sides? Your thoughts?. Your method is the only way for for mould on both sides! I'm tony

This might just be the most useful channel I’ve come across in months! I need to have a dig around, but I might end up sending some tapes your way in the next few months. Quite a few though, maybe 25 or so 8mm tapes. Is this a problem?

Do you have any experience with squealing ME tapes? I've got two or three of them that are pretty bad, all Bauer branded I think.

I was looking everywhere for this kind of DIY VHS spool cleaner with a Sapphire block, I still have several valuable VHS tape which cannot be clean using a winder/cleaner, I carefully wipe every inch of the tape manually spooling, which takes days for single tape, I was wondering if i make some spool machine with Sapphire block it would work wonder, will it be possible to get a sapphire block or buy an used TAPECHEK machine

I had a question, I have a digital 8 Sony Handycam. DCR TRV250. I have a brand new hi8 8mm tape and playback works when I rewind it. But older tapes that don't appear damaged won't have playback, it's just a blue screen. Other tapes with that that C message and little icon on the screen. How do I fix this issue? I'm trying to digitalize the tapes with a USB converter but it won't even play on the camcorder screen.

I've operated a video production company since 1990 in New Orleans, LA. I do a lot of transfer work and have a good recovery method for VHS and VHS-C tape. The 8mm and mini-DV tapes have always been a problem. I like your method for getting the tape freely moving. Do you have to clean the tape after this process?

great video. just a question, though, regarding mould. Is it possible to de-mould the tape without your machine? Can it work advancing the tape by hand? thanks. chris

Is it possible to modify a small portable battery/dc audio cassette player (ie inserting a vaiable potentiometer for the speed) for HI8 spool rewinding? Or would i be wasting my time? Cheers

Hi, thank you for video! Do you know where I can find splicing kit for hi8 tapes? Also is there any rewinder which may help in my case. I tried to digitize old tapes, the one in camcorder worked fine, but any other from storage snaps in camcorder. I even tried to rewind manually one using pencil, it snapped too. Now my only option is to open tape and manually unstuck them from reel. I don't see any mold though, it was in the basement which is cold and dry with dehumidifier. Using your services will probably not work, I have over 20 tapes, probably too expensive.

Love your informative presentation. Where does one buy the 8mm splicing jig?? Regards from Sydney - Australia

Have old hi 8 handycam videos and some are like in a blue color not the true color I don't know how to remedy this as they are very old good memories of my grandchildren are they repairable? I don't see mold what caused this?

❇How to join the broken tape? What glue is used?

Mr. Colin, I am trying to playback 8mm/Hi8/Video8 home videos and each and every tape is white/black fuzzy. There is NO picture, no sound (just white noise) and I am very concerned. I unfortunately don’t have the original camera so I’ve purchased 2 different used 8mm camcorders, both have the same result. The tapes visually look ok, but I am no professional. The videos are precious to me and I’m hoping they are not lost forever. Any suggestions?

Question, do you accept tapes by carrier? We have 2 tapes with mould on them and no one around where we live will touch them or have the equipment. The problem is we live in Canada. How much do you charge per tape?

Are you sure that tape with fold-over is unplayable? I have a VHS-C cassette that was eaten by the VCR so about 10 minutes of it has fold-over. I opened the cassette up and manually unfolded the tape with my fingers using a pen and now the whole thing is playable. The part that was folded over still has a crease that won't go away so the video plays a bit shaky giving it a fuzzy line at the bottom of the screen and rolling shutter every now and again. But you can actually see the video which is what matters, and it is watchable too. Maybe capturing it with a nice TBC or stablizing the image frame by frame in software would make it look even better. But then again this is VHS-C and not video 8 so I don't know if this method would translate correctly.

Very informative video i would like to know the baking process for tapes sticking to video heads while playing i tried using rubbing alcohol but it's not useful

What machine or vcr should I get to digitize my 8 mm, digital 8, and hi8 tapes if I don’t have the camcorder?

Ive been looking forever for someone to fix my tapes they are broke in half and moldy how much would you charge to fix my 8mm tapes

please make a video of how to make the machine to play the tape to clean them. Thanks

Hi, I have an issue with a MiniDV tape that has some residue that isn't mould. What ever machine I play it in, the heads have to be cleaned. I've played the tape end to end and then run the cleaning tape, (cleaning tape fixes the machine) but I can't seem to get this weird stuff off the tape itself. Have you got any ideas? Cheers

I have some 8mm tapes that are sticking so much that even slowly unreeling the tape by hand is causing it to break. Do you think soaking the reels in Hydrogen Peroxide would loosen the tape and make it easier to unspool?

I bet all or most my top 40 tapes from the 80’s and early 90’s are ruined by mould now, as they’ve been in a shoe box at the bottom of my wardrobe for christ knows how long and I haven’t looked at them properly for more than 20 years!!!!

Very helpful and informative. I have a question... Could a UV sterilizing light destroy the mold without damaging the tape?

I have a big problem. I have a 8mm tape, but the mold is so bad that when I try to pull on it, it is so stuck on the spool that it shreds! It's as if the entire spool is glued together.

Found some old tapes with mould. Will try the manual way. 😴

Cool

hi good information. thanks, but my tape top flap will not laydown how can I get the top flap to go back into place so i can then insert it in my camcorder

Hi Colin! I have more than 20 cassettes with lots of memories! I tried doing this by hand but it keeps snapping every 2 inches. Do you accept orders?

hi i have just found 2 long lost tapes of my dad only footage there might be its on 8mm tape has a little mould would it be worth trying see if work or would they most likely snap?plz any advice be good thanks

I just refitted the MAxell spring in two tapes, what an annoying thing to do.

What is your opinion on crinkled tapes damaged by a jam?

Hi Colin, I have disassembled an 8mm video tape and when I lifted the top part of the cassette up, the small plastic piece that you push to allow the tape flap to open flew out together with a small flat type of spring with a V shape in the centre. I have managed to re-locate the plastic piece but can't figure out how the spring fits. Any ideas? Thanks for your videos, they are a great help.

i once had a tape what i opend the lid on (where the player opens it to get the tape) it was an 8mm when i closed the lid it some how creased the tape to the point where if i would put it in a player it will be unplayable, so i just threw the tape out.

How much experimentation was necessary to arrive at that voltage for the winder?

Hi sir. I have two minidv tapes and two of them got eaten by camcorder and I managed to get them out but I am sure some of the film is damaged. I was wondering can u repair them? It's precious moment of my few months old daughter and it was 10 years ago...I regretted that i put the tape in the defective camcorder. If you can repair and convert to digital file that would be great and how much are you going to charge for that kind of service. Thanks.

That's great n all but what does one do if they don't have your machine??

Say, I'd really appreciate some advice. I've had tapes that have been sat around for about 20 years. My camcorder was so old it wouldn't work so I bought another that was in good working order. When I tried to play my tapes, they were all unplayable. No mould or damage at all. The best luck I had was that on about 3 tapes, the first minute or two was in ok condition, then it would suddenly deteriorate into either bad condition or just like there was nothing on the tape. Is this salvageable??

What’s the name of the splicing tape you use?

Do you know what type of mould that is? Certain types of mold produce mycotoxins, a dangerous toxic by-product.

I wonder why Tapechek never released a 8mm cleaner, probably because it's mainly a consumer format.

Hi Colin.....HEEELLPPPPPPP....... I tried unravelling my tape by hand but it still rips...It's taken me Weeks of frustration... I've been told there is a "baking" process to loosen this mould First...?? can you help. may I send pictures to you..

How would I make myself a machine yours to help me demould tapes? Can you make me one and ship it to me?

What about apply UV light (that used to kill viruses and bacterias on fridges)?

Hi, I have a tape with this issue! Do you have a business website?

luckily it’s 2021 and i have many spare masks

hello I have a cassette that was broken and every time I try to stick it it breaks again, notice that the tape is stuck to the edges how can you fix that there is any liquid that you can use?

Which material used for tap joined?

But your not really removing the mold are you. You're just breaking it's adhesiveness temporarily. Won't it stick again later?

nope. my tape re-tears every few inches.

It's too bad that no one can have access to your equipment to de mold tape.

Well now I know not to put my collection of tapes in the garage. EDIT: yes i still use video cassettes to record stuff.

care to build me a winding machine? We are getting a bunch of tapes like this through our office now.

This video is worthless you have to have the machine to demould your tapes.